Washington Dentist Selected as President-Elect of the American Dental Association

Linda J. Edgar, D.D.S., M.Ed., will assume ADA presidency in 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, October 18, 2022 — Dr. Linda J. Edgar, a dentist in Federal Way, Wash., is the new President-Elect of the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr. Edgar was recently elected at the ADA House of Delegates Meeting at ADA SmileCon™ in Houston, Texas on October 18.

Dr. Edgar has been a member of the ADA since 1992 and was a member of the House of Delegates from 2005 to 2018. Most recently, she served as the Eleventh District Trustee of the ADA and on the ADA Council of Dental Practice.

Dr. Edgar is also involved with numerous other dental organizations, including the Washington State Dental Association (WSDA), the Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA), the American College of Dentists (ACOD), the International College of Dentists (ICD), the Academy of Dentistry International, the Washington Academy of General Dentistry and the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), of which she was president in 2013-2014.

Additionally, she served as president of the Seattle King County Dental Society from 2010 to 2011. For close to 30 years, Dr. Edgar worked in private practice and has been involved with the University of Washington School of Dentistry in support of major fundraising for more than 10 years.

Prior to becoming a dentist, Dr. Edgar was a teacher for 15 years. She was a national class marathon runner completing over 45 marathons and participating in the first Woman’s Olympic Marathon Trials. She has also completed two full Ironman races. She has practiced general dentistry with her husband, Dr. Bryan Edgar, for 30 years and is currently involved with volunteer organizations which couple continuing education with increasing access for veterans and the underserved.

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance has long been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org.

About the ADA Forsyth Institute

The ADA Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children (later, the Forsyth Institute), to provide dental care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. While continuing to serve children in need, yet recognizing the ultimate goal is to prevent dental disease, the Institute in 1915 began to focus on scientific research and is today the world’s leader in oral health research. In October of 2023, the Institute joined with the American Dental Association to form the ADA Forsyth Institute, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach. Consistent with the Institute’s founding mission, the ADA ForsythKids mobile dental program continues to serve children in need.